1998
The first hectare
We bought an abandoned plot of land in Sarandí, with the idea of planting malbec and seeing what happened. In the first year, we lost half of the plants to late frosts, but we learned to read the local climate.
We don't follow generic recipes. Every decision, from caring for the land to attending to visitors, responds to our own criteria that we have refined over the years. This page brings together the principles that guide our daily work.
The idea is simple: what we do must be able to be explained clearly, without empty promises. If something doesn't stand up to that test, we review it.
The winery was born in 1987, when the family decided to plant the first Malbec vines on land that had been used for cattle ranching. The decision was not easy: the soil required drainage work that took three full seasons. It was not until 1992 that the first stable harvest was achieved, with just 4,000 kilos of grapes sold to a local cooperative.
The turning point came in 2001, in the midst of an economic crisis. Instead of reducing production, the family invested in a small stainless steel tank and began bottling their own wine under the Villa Mariolu brand. That first batch of 1,200 bottles sold out in six months, sold at fairs and shops in the region. Since then, the winery has grown without losing its family scale: today it produces 45,000 liters a year and maintains manual cluster selection as a core practice.
In 2010, the first drip irrigation line was added, financed with a loan from the rural development program. In 2015, the winery joined the local wine tourism circuit, opening its doors on weekends for guided tours. And in 2019, a fire in the storage shed forced the barrel area to be rebuilt; that experience led the family to install an early detection system that today is a reference among neighboring wineries.
Our work is sustained by the trust of those who share the same respect for the land and the craft. They are family wineries, producer cooperatives, and distributors who choose to work with clear, long-term criteria.
The list is short on purpose. We prefer stable relationships over an extensive roster without real substance.
The winery was not born from a master plan, but from decisions made year after year, with the land as the only compass. Each stage left a concrete mark: a vine planted, a building raised, a harvest that changed the way we work.
1998
We bought an abandoned plot of land in Sarandí, with the idea of planting malbec and seeing what happened. In the first year, we lost half of the plants to late frosts, but we learned to read the local climate.
2003
We built the fermentation shed with bricks recovered from a demolition. That same year, we completed our first full harvest: 4,000 kilos of grapes, pressed by hand and bottled in demijohns.
2009
We stopped selling bulk wine and launched our first labeled line. It was an uncomfortable decision: it meant investing in glass, cork, and trademark registration. But it opened the door to wine shops in Buenos Aires.
2015
We incorporated French oak barrels and began experimenting with long aging. The first batch came out with a character we didn't expect: spicier, deeper. That wine became our emblem.
2021
We added an organic garden and a tasting room with our own kitchen. Today, visitors can tour the vineyards, enjoy lunch with produce from the farm, and take home a box of wines chosen at leisure.
This timeline is not a museum: each date is still present in the way we work today. The decisions we made then define the wine that comes out of the winery every season.